Smartphone, Wireless, and Mobile Technologies Forum

I think Android is raising the bar that Apple has tried so hard to not raise. Apple is doing what they did with desktops back in the 80's. They made a closed system again. Android is going do to the Iphone what Windows did to IBM. I don't get why they can't learn from their mistakes. Money has never been in hardware it is all about software.

I became a registered Apple developer and am also developing for Android. Trying to cover both with my business. I had to buy a Mac just to try to get started. I had to send them all kinds of personal financial documents that they wanted even when I already followed their own printed requirements.

I tried to download the 2.5GB iphone SDK for 4 days without being able to get it started. I had the 39MB Android SDK in 3 minutes. I finally had to find an unauthorized torrent version of the iphone SDK to start building something for them. That's not how to grow their business. I recently started talking to everyone I know outside of the tech world about their cell phones. I was totally amazed how many people, even lawyers and business owners that had Blackberries and Palms didn't even know what an iphone or an "app" really was. Over half thought iphone was the name for smart phones. They thought they had one with the brands that they had. I was shocked. The iphone is not nearly as big as some of us think it is.

There are some thing Apple will never do as long as the crazy founders are still in control. Apple may one day make good business decisions and become a much bigger company.

Apple will never enter the business market because of the way they do business. Apple can stay the same and Android can still pass them by taking MS and Black Berry business. Black Berry is very set in the business world and may stay on top of that niche forever.

As an iPhone user since it's launch 2.5 years ago I have to say there isn't a UI like it on the market. When the pre was launched I switched for 21 days and switched back, when the Droid was launched I lasted 28 days before switching back.

Don't discount UI and the easy of use. My 67 year old mother loves her iPhone for it's simplicity. It just works.

Android isn't open, you can't tethered out of the box and you have to root it if you want full control.

Apple has 34 billion dollars in the bank with zero debt.

I'm not a fanboy by any means but feel that developing for the user is something that is always stressed at WW and Apple has capitalize on that concept.

1. So hard to do SSH or SFTP using either (prefer a netbook) 2. I like standalone GPS devices (more clarity, reliability during stressful driving) 3. Did not find any app. that justifies an 'overpriced' ($600) always 'radiating' device. (again prefer netbook; One can turnoff the radiation anytime, bigger screen, longer battery life, not wasting my phone battery) 4. Always afraid that after running all the games/app. there is no power left to make a critical phone call.

Hence, we are going with a $30 (with 2 years contract, no contract on data) phone (can check emails), and a cheap netbook with SSH, SFTP, and Ubuntu.

Of course, I do not represent the general consumers. For them, Iphone is more like a golden jewelery. It is hard to compete with Gold, even if silver brings more value. The question is, if Iphone is a Tulip or real Gold.

^ i also prefer a netbook for those things as well. My cell is now the smallest thinest device i can find, I don't want to even know its in my pocket and a surely do not want to have to ware it on my belt!

and i also agree that and for people iphone is some got to have to look cool accessory, and they don't really understand what they own.

But if you're out doing something without your netbook and the server goes down or your sites stop running, you're stuck until you get back to your netbook.

I can pull out the phone and remotely reboot the server if needed and then login with SSH and fix problems and be done in minutes while your servers/sites are just down until you get back to wherever you left that netbook.

Planning ahead, I set up scripts that do most of the tasks I would do when recovering after a server failure, such as reindexing potentially crashed databases, so I can do a lot of work with very little typing on the phone, which of course now makes the task easier no matter how I access the server, desktop or Android.

4. Always afraid that after running all the games/app. there is no power left to make a critical phone call.

Another reason Android will succeed, you can have more that one charged battery and swap them out. You can't swap batteries with an iPhone, can't even replace a bad one.

The trick is disabling GPS, WIFI and BLUETOOTH when not in use, simple toggles on my battery app, and keep the screen as dim as you can tolerate when on, and off when not needed to max out the battery life.

Additionally, you can get a USB battery pack with solar recharger for about $35.

But if you're out doing something without your netbook and the server goes down or your sites stop running, you're stuck until you get back to your netbook.

when did netbooks become fixed non-portable devices?

my netbook is a short walk to the car if im not at the house, but i guess that android would save me 60 seconds.

Planning ahead, I set up scripts that do most of the tasks I would do when recovering after a server failure, such as reindexing potentially crashed databases, so I can do a lot of work with very little typing on the phone, which of course now makes the task easier no matter how I access the server, desktop or Android

The trick is disabling GPS, WIFI and BLUETOOTH when not in use, simple toggles on my battery app, and keep the screen as dim as you can tolerate when on, and off when not needed to max out the battery life.

Additionally, you can get a USB battery pack with solar recharger for about $35.

you are a cell phone geek, and not normal cell phone user. If you could program your phone to start your car and make you coffee you would, but just because you will figure out every single way to push your device to the limits..........nobody else does that except cell phone geeks.

pigs will fly before I see every 20's something female with their android and a solar pack charging a 2nd battery and managing their phones power resources with a power app haahah

Sharp and Nissan [gizmodo.com] they have already done it and there are already some hardware and apps for Blackberry, iPhone and Android.

There's also an garage door opener kit available for smart phones.

So you can not only open the car door but start the car and open the garage door with a single device.

There used to be some cell phones that replaced smart remotes for TV, DVR and DVDs but it requires and IR interface and Android phones don't have one yet, but it could be a simple USB dongle to make it work.

pigs will fly before I see every 20's something female

Considering how much they talk on the phone, that pig has definitely flown.

FYI, the add-on USB solar battery was originally built for an iPhone because of the lack of access to the internal battery.

I agree 20s something females won't want to drag that around which is why the Android and swappable battery are a better choice for them.

The generation that is in college right now (and finished in the last 5 years or so) grew up with tech from birth, I think it's safe to say that the definition of a "normal" user is changing.

It's more than reasonable to say that the flexibility of Andriod, and the variety of devices and carriers it will be available on, will take a huge share of the market from iPhone. It seems obvious to me, it has probably already started happening.

i've still met college kids that only know how to turn on a computer and type their paper, so don't be so sure about that.

just cause they grow up with it doesn't mean they are intersted in it, we all grew up with cars yet we all don't understand and work on them in our driveway. we learned how to drive just like everyone else, only the people that took a serious intrest opened the hood and learned about them.

perhaps not but it was an automatic failure of iphone that it didn't have a field-replaceable battery - not even on the radar as anything more than a toy. it is a rare day that i can last a day with a single charge and wireless to me means untethered from the grid.

iPhone PROS(for me): 1. It has a simply magnificent display. Eminently readable in ANY light conditions. I can read books easily even with full sunlight washing back and forth across it, and who would have thought a few years ago that you could very much enjoy a TV episode played in full beautiful color on such a small screen -but you can. 2. Mostly very intuitive UI functions and features. Easy and speedy to acomplish what I want to do.

CONS(for me): Only one major one - I can't stand interfacing with the iTunes software - the most shxtty bit of software ever (recently) designed by man or beast.

Not such an issue for me: Battery life - I have found you get very used to checking whether it needs a top-up charge each night. And I have a USB charger at work. I very rarely get caught - it's simply not an issue for me.

Things that I'd like changed/improved: 1. Bit thinner, bit lighter would be welcome. 2. Rubbery case plastic (like Samsung) to decrease slipperiness and allow to do away with those silicone slip covers. 3. Increase in ring volume. 4. Programming change such that a double press of the Home button = pressing the main OFF/ON button (would be so simple and easy to do and be such a nice touch) 5. Allow recording of phone conversations - wouldn't this be a boon!

The iTunes hate thing is an interesting one that keeps popping up. Again, this is something that I only hear from geeks and never from anyone else.

Techies (and perhaps musos) want more features and options. Most other users seem to be fairly oblivious to iTune's existence. It's just something that allows them to organise and play their music.

And this is something that seems to go across many forms of interactive technology - including websites. Techies always build content management systems with hundreds of 'features'. Whereas most users simply want to read a few articles, download a few bits and pieces and perhaps do a bit of shopping.

It's not about 'features'. It's almost never about features. It's about design, usability and price. Apple's products are rarely very price sensitive, and so usability design is the key IMO. Techies often think that an icon is an icon, a window is a window and a keyboard is a keyboard and so all that is required to improve a product is to add more features, or allow more customisation. This is why Linux will never become mainstream without a major shift in perspective.

Apple may have messed up originally with the marketing approach for its computer operating system. But the iPhone has shown that users care about design and usability (and yes, style also) enough to pay a premium for it.

For me it is mainly the latest hardware with the least amount of restrictions. By restrictions I mean silly headphone and charger requirement etc. After reading a lot about the HTC HD2 I asked the guy I bought it from 3 questions to double check: Can I use any 3.5 headphone, can I charge via USB and can I just copy and paste music without going through a silly itunes - or similar - charade.

At first I was worried it was too large (the screen). It is not, it still amazes me (though it has only been weeks since I got it) just how light this phone is.

The HTC with its chin annoys people's sense of aesthetics. It's not about features.

As iB states, the new HTC have no chin. Just do a search for the HTC HD2 and you will see that it is an impressive looking phone.

And as for the features, wow I am just beginning to realise how much a phone can do. I love the GPS.....

For me it is mainly the latest hardware with the least amount of restrictions. By restrictions I mean silly headphone and charger requirement etc. After reading a lot about the HTC HD2 I asked the guy I bought it from 3 questions to double check: Can I use any 3.5 headphone, can I charge via USB and can I just copy and paste music without going through a silly itunes - or similar - charade.

Hmmm. For me it was the interface (hardware and software) and the fact that it was so well designed that it fitted in my jeans pocket more comfortably and less bulkily than my older Nokia,despite actually being larger.

The geek side of me dislikes the lack of control with Apple's sync process, but the lazy side of me sits back and just lets it get on with the stress-free process. It's the lazy side of me that makes purchasing decisions.